Volunteers

News about Volunteers, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 15, 2015

Lives essay by Del Berg, last surviving veteran of Abraham Lincoln Brigade, recalls volunteering to fight in Spanish Civil War, which led him to become involved in working people's movement in the United States. MORE

Mar. 14, 2015

Retiring column; volunteer organizations like Rotary Club and Peace Corps are taking advantage of growing number of retirees who wish to volunteer, offering them opportunities to keep busy and give back. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column praises group of Syrian volunteers known as White Helmets, who risk their lives to rescue survivors from rubble of bombings, regardless of survivors' affiliations; calls on Pres Obama to provide more support for group, and to provide more help to Syrian refugees. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Retiring column; nonprofit Encore.org bestows Purpose Prize fellowships on retirees Gloria Carter Dickerson, Peter Rosten and Josephine Mercado, who have all dedicated their later years to community service. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column considers empathy and ways to increase it; observes reading literary fiction and volunteering, including travel and student service projects, are ways to nurture greater compassion for other people in need. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

Lindsey Hallen, 31-year-old emergency room nurse in Manhattan, is heading to West Africa to join the fight against Ebola as a volunteer with Boston-based organization Partners in Health. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

Scott Croly is one of several volunteer pianists who play for soup kitchen guests at Church of the Holy Apostles in Chelsea; church has live piano music every weekday during mealtime. MORE

Dec. 26, 2014

Volunteers with no special training drive vans in White House motorcades, filled with lower ranking White House staff members and reporters; drivers are less expensive than Secret Service people or local police officers who surround them on road, but practice is also seen as unsound, since motorcades can travel at high speeds, especially when escorting Pres Obama. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Teams of volunteers, most of them women, are powering Ukrainian war effort, working around clock at logistics center to send out array of products, food, clothing and military equipment; offer not just moral and physical support but at least glimmer of hope that Ukrainian forces can hold their own against Russian troops. MORE

Nov. 7, 2014

Mennonite Disaster Service, religious organization of volunteers, helps homeowners across the United States and Canada rebuild their homes; past efforts include Hurricane Sandy victims, and victims of fires, floods and snowstorms in Tennessee, Alberta and West Virginia. MORE

Oct. 25, 2014

Vast majority of medical professionals who have been fighting Ebola in West Africa say tougher restrictions, like those adopted by New York and New Jersey, could cripple volunteers' efforts at the front lines of the epidemic; federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sets baseline for recommendation standards on Ebola, but state and local officials have prerogative to tighten the regimen as they see fit. MORE

Oct. 25, 2014

Retiring column; six winners of the 2014 Purpose Prize, awarded to Americans 60 or older who have had impact on the world, all volunteered their skills and experience to help people and improve communities; prize, awarded by nonprofit Encore.org, is now in its ninth year. MORE

Oct. 4, 2014

List of organizations working to halt outbreak of Ebola that are seeking volunteers and donations noted. MORE

Sep. 27, 2014

Large number of doctors and nurses have begun volunteering to fight the Ebola virus in West Africa following long period of paralyzing fear; influx has been accompanied by logistical and financial support from the World Bank, the Gates Foundation and the United States Army, but experts warn that there will be a long gap before resources can be marshaled to create fully staffed hospitals. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

News analysis; number of volunteer firefighters in the United States has dropped by around 11 percent since the mid-1980s, while number of career firefighters has grown by more than 50 percent; decline is due in part to diminishing allure of volunteer firefighting,since fund-raising takes up almost half the time volunteers are on duty; officials are looking to attract new volunteers, as they save $139.8 billion annually for local governments. MORE

Jul. 26, 2014

Investigation into 2013 death of Peace Corps volunteer Nick Castle in China concludes that Peace Corps doctor missed signs of serious illness, but Castle's death could not have been prevented; Castle, three months before he died, suffered gastrointestinal problems and complained to his Peace Corps doctor of worrisome weight loss; story raises questions about agency's medical care. MORE

Jul. 11, 2014

Juliet Macur Sports of The Times column on how FIFA has treated its thousands of World Cup volunteers; they receive no housing, no paycheck and the only job training is in Portuguese; many have been griping for weeks, but not about working without a paycheck; they are upset because they did not receive tickets to any of the matches. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Legions of retirees across America enlist in what might be called the unarmed forces of the uniformed ranks, welcome as volunteers by Civil Air Patrol, Coast Guard Auxiliary and many police departments. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Many older Americans work, and in some cases find a second career, as historical interpreters at living history museums or as docents at historic houses; while some are paid, most are volunteers. MORE

Apr. 27, 2014

Corey Kilgannon Character Study column on Vajra Henderson, medical tent volunteer for Sri Chinmoy ultramarathon held in Queens; 10-day race, begun by Indian-born guru Chinmoy, draws 90 runners from all over world in search of self-transcendence. MORE

Apr. 20, 2014

Op-Ed article by entrepreneur and author Aaron Hurst reflects that desire on part of many people to volunteer at nonprofits underscores lack of purpose they experience in their jobs; contends that research has shown that taking steps to increase employees' sense of purpose and meaning will lead to greater job satisfaction. MORE

Apr. 6, 2014

Scores of volunteers, many of them loggers and foresters, have changed the nature of the response to the landslide in Oso, Wash, even as it changed them; loggers and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials developed growing respect for each other over different areas of expertise. MORE

Jan. 29, 2014

NFL has opted to hire some 1,500 temporary Super Bowl workers for positions that have traditionally been filled by enthusiastic volunteers, citing anxiety over ongoing litigation against Major League Baseball; league still expects to use as many as 9,000 volunteers, down from initial estimate of 20,000. MORE

Nov. 18, 2013

Churches, community groups and individuals have stepped in to perform relief work in areas of Philippines where local governments' capacity to respond to devastation of Typhoon Haiyan has been greatly diminished. MORE

Oct. 31, 2013

Juliet Macur Sports Of The Times column recalls thousands of runners who chose to assist devastated New Yorkers after the 2012 New York City Marathon was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy; contends that in retrospect it seems even more callous that some officials pushed to have event carry on as normal. MORE

Oct. 29, 2013

Rome Journal; handful of older Roman residents have volunteered to help in the upkeep of a park of Rome's ancient aqueducts, in order to make up for budget cuts to the public institution in charge of the park; volunteers are not able to completely fill the gap, and their main challenge is dealing with vandals. MORE

Oct. 5, 2013

Alina Tugend Shortcuts column on trend among new high school graduates of taking year off to pursue learning outside of academics; while beneficial, taking year off can cost as much as year at college. MORE

Sep. 5, 2013

A volunteer crew of Mennonites arrived in New York within days of Hurricane Sandy’s landfall, and with some 80 projects in various stages of rehabilitation, they have now set up house in temporary quarters. MORE

Aug. 30, 2013

Khartoum Journal; members of volunteer, youth-led initiative respond swiftly to humanitarian crisis caused by heavy rains and flash floods that struck Sudan, reviving tradition of collective aid; some say group's formation was all the more important because of Sudanese government's slow response. MORE

Aug. 10, 2013

Samuel G Freedman On Religion column notes program that enlists evangelical volunteers to help out public schools in Portland, Ore, has drawn interest from states across the country; program fulfills needs of school districts with slashed budgets as well as young evangelicals drawn to cause of social justice, while avoiding tripwire of church-state separation. MORE

Aug. 3, 2013

Volunteers patrol the Arizona desert west of Tucson, ready to offer water, food, clothing and medical care, aiming to prevent deaths among migrants crossing illegally from Mexico in a harsh landscape. MORE

Jul. 16, 2013

Pres Obama welcomes former Pres George H W Bush to the White House to present an award named for Bush's signature initiative on volunteer service. MORE

Jul. 6, 2013

Budget cuts to police services across Oregon spark debate among residents over what government is for and how community is defined; some residents in Josephine County say cuts have affected public safety, and volunteers there have taken up patrols; others say financial troubles have in fact strengthened the community and oppose higher taxes. MORE

Jul. 4, 2013

As part of an archive project, a group of volunteers gather once a month to pan for historical gold in the massive files of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. MORE

Jun. 7, 2013

Jim Dwyer About New York column on the World Up Community Bookshop in Washington Heights, Manhattan, run by volunteers and set to reopen on Amsterdam Avenue. MORE

Jun. 7, 2013

Stuart Elliott Advertising column notes that Do Something, national nonprofit organization that encourages civic involvement by young Americans, will roll out new unit devoted to helping marketers and other organizations better engage with youth. MORE

Jun. 3, 2013

Members of Syrian Arab Red Crescent, volunteers and international humanitarian workers, regularly cross checkpoint lines to aid victims of country's bloody civil war; members, who maintain strict political neutrality, have paid heavy price for their service, with many dying in field and dozens of others detained by government. MORE

May. 15, 2013

Some baby boomers approaching retirement are forging ties with their former colleagues and employers for social and philanthropic activities, and some for work, rather than devoting time to traditional civic and religious groups; some companies including Hallmark, Hewlett-Packard and Ford Motor have extended welcome mat for retirees, acknowledging that retiree relations can be good for business. MORE

May. 12, 2013

Rapid grass-roots response to earthquake in Sichuan Province reveals just how far China’s nascent civil society movement has come since 2008, when volunteers began using social media to coordinate efforts after Wenchuan earthquake. MORE

Feb. 10, 2013

Ginia Bellafante Big City column commends the many former stay-at-home mothers who have thrown themselves into volunteer work for victims of Hurricane Sandy, some devoting seven days a week to the task. MORE

Jan. 31, 2013

New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner calls for citizen volunteers to help weed out fraud in state's legal guardianship program; volunteers will read annual financial reports and notify authorities of any improprieties. MORE

Jan. 17, 2013

Volunteers for Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, add task of safeguarding 59 public schools, in wake of Newtown, Conn, massacre; posse of 3,000 is best known for its supporting role in sheriff's immigration raids. MORE

Jan. 2, 2013

Volunteers who became ill after working at ground zero are finding it difficult to file claims for compensation from a $2.8 billion medical fund because of lack of necessary documentation; large classes of people who qualify, like firefighters, are likely to have official work orders to back them up, but scores of volunteers, some of whom spent days working on site, have only the sketchiest proof of their service. MORE

Dec. 23, 2012

Oliver Canmore Barrow, who has been ringing a bell beside a kettle to raise money for Salvation Army since 1986 and credits organization with helping him turn his life around, describes his typical Sunday routine. MORE

Nov. 18, 2012

Jenna Wortham Bits column says after a disaster, it can be hard to sift through the hundreds of ways to donate time, money or supplies; notes in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, new apps and services aim to better organize the options. MORE

Nov. 11, 2012

Occupy Sandy is a do-it-yourself disaster relief organization established by Occupy Wall Street to respond to victims of Hurricane Sandy; efforts have brought an impromptu renewal of the passions of Zuccotti Park, tapping into the desire of many New York City residents to assist in recovery. MORE

Nov. 11, 2012

App City column notes that tech-savvy volunteers have been developing networks that can quickly link helpers to those in need, spurred by government-alert texting systems during Hurricane Sandy. MORE

Nov. 10, 2012

Paul Sullivan Wealth Matters column; offering knowledge and experience by volunteering at a school can be far more satisfying for donors than simply writing a check. MORE

Nov. 9, 2012

Jim Dwyer About New York column on Peter Nevin, Emily Chilton and Daniel Vladu, who came from Washington State as volunteers with AmeriCorps aiming to help clear fallen trees and debris from Hurricane Sandy, but instead ended up helping run a shelter in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. MORE

Nov. 9, 2012

Bohemia Ecological Preserve in Northern California, which was created on donated land, is now owned by a nonprofit and it is being maintained by volunteers; while it is open to the public, access is provided only through guided hikes, volunteer stewardship opportunities and other scheduled events. MORE

January 29, 2015, Thursday

While most accounts of American health workers have focused on the ones returning, Lindsey Hallen, an emergency room nurse in Manhattan, is heading to West Africa to fight an epidemic that has killed more than 8,000 people.